At the national assembly, top government officials were grilled on matters related to the economy.
In the process, rival lawmakers clashed over a number of policies implemented by the Moon administration.
Kim Min-ji has it all covered.
The rival parties dug in on their differences over the Moon Jae-in administration's economic policies.
Under scrutiny was the 16-point-4 percent minimum wage hike that took effect this year.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the government used the podium to defend their record on the matter,... saying there have been double-digit increases in the past that didn't cause a huge shock to the economy but rather bore fruit in the long term.

"Do you believe the economy will suffer or take the wage hike in stride?"

"Well we believe the economy will be okay. In fact, things are actually better [than when we raised wages in the past] because [this time] we have introduced a support fund to help employers. So in down the road, that will help improve the situation."

However, the opposition parties said that the government isn't listening to the voices of the public.
They claim it's actually leading to job losses because microbusinesses can no longer afford to pay as many people.

"Janitors, those who work in convenience stores, cafes -- these are some of the people who are in an extremely difficult situation because they can easily be let go."

"We have introduced a support fund to help microbusinesses so that these people won't be hurt by any fallout. We will introduce complementary measures to minimize the downsides."

Another area of dispute is regulations on virtual currency.
The opposition said the government's failure to coordinate between ministries has led to wild price flunctuations -- but it still hasn't drawn up substantive measures to deal with the crisis.

"Until when do you plan to look into the situation,... and when will appropriate measures be drawn up?"

"We don't have immediate plans,... but we are going to root out any illegal transactions and calm any speculation while fostering block chain technology. We will be closely monitoring the market to ensure a soft landing."

Opposition lawmakers also criticized a series of government measures aimed at cooling the property market,... saying prices are still surging in certain areas -- while the ruling party said prices overall are showing signs of stabilizing and that additional measures will be implemented soon.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.